NHS 111 online conflicting advice

[blackwych]

I have had a cough for ages - it's not that bad. Sitting here preparing for work tomorrow and I have been coughing more. Bearing in mind the government advice to self isolate if you have a new cough I decided to look at the 111 online tool to see if it could tell me what to do. I discovered that if you put in 'cough' rather that going straight to the coronavirus advice, it gives you a choice between 4 different topics, including coronavirus and normal cough. If I follow the coronavirus questions it tells me to stay at home for 7 days, if I follow the normal cough questions it tells me to contact GP. How can this be OK? Surely 111 shouldn't be relying on a patient to click on the correct topic.

Also, I can't tell if this is a new cough or not, which is why I wanted to see if there was any advice on a worsening cough. The advice just isn't clear enough.

I find it all so confusing. I have huge anxiety over the whole thing. I woke during the week and had a scratchy throat... it was away before I even left for work. Once I woke up and I was a bit warm. These have been one-offs tho I have been a little breathless.... I don't even know if breathless is right, I'm not struggling to breathe, I just feel a little different. I've had an on/off sore head for a few days (taken painkillers just once). I've coughed a couple of times.

Are these symptoms? Or is my anxiety creating this? I'm analyzing everything. You know, you cough once and you start thinking 'when was the last time I coughed? Is it new?' I'm not the fittest person in the world, have I always felt this way but just never noticed? Do I self-isolate for these reasons? I live with my dad, he's over 70. I don't really go out, I nip to the shop, I go to work and walk the dog. As far as I know I haven't been in contact with anyone who has it. I've been taking precautions... my hands are almost raw. Until the last few weeks I've never noticed how often I get an itchy nose. Have I scratched it after getting off the bus? Have I got the virus that way?

It's just a bloody minefield of worrying and unclear information (IMO).

I agree, it is really confusing. I have had a weird gaspy feeling in the back of my throat for 3 weeks at least, but I don't know if normally I would have even noticed that.

Also, what is a continuous cough? I am coughing on and off, not non-stop.